Former Lady Raider Ashton returns to Lubbock

Houston forward Marissa Ashton’s return trip to Lubbock is probably one she’d like to forget.

The former Lady Raider scored two points and picked up four fouls in Houston’s 86-56 loss to Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon.

This came one game after she posted her second double-double of the season in a 74-61 win against Texas State on Dec. 22.

Ashton played for Tech during her freshman and sophomore years, but transferred to Houston to be closer to home. Ashton also was not projected to be in the two-deep rotation after playing in 30 games her freshman year but only 12 her sophomore.

Ashton sat out last year, per NCAA transfer rules, but has averaged 9.7 points per game this season for the Cougs.

Houston coach Todd Buchanan said Ashton wanted to make a statement in Sunday’s game, not in any kind of vicious way, but she just had one of those games where nothing goes right — not unlike the rest of her teammates against the Lady Raiders.

“Just chalk it up as one of those games,” Buchanan said. “We went through about an hour-and-40-minute walkthrough (last night), and I mean she was money. Absolutely no signs of anything in a negative way. It was all very positive and I thought she was handling everything extremely well coming back.”

Tech coach Kristy Curry said she was happy to see Ashton playing well for her new team.

She added that Houston has turned out to be a better fit for Ashton.

“I told her I was proud of her because every single film I’ve watched,” Curry said, “to see her grow and mature to see she’s doing well in the classroom and on the court for those coaches, who I’m so close to, I’m so proud of her.”

Lady Raider bench key

For the first time this season, every active Lady Raider has scored.

Tech had four of its starters scored in double figures, but three bench players scored seven apiece and one chipped in nine.

Chynna Brown picked up three fouls in the first half after scoring six points early, then picked up her fourth foul early in the second half.

Once Brown picked up her foul, though, the guards on the bench stepped up.

“I think coming off the bench we all try to have as much energy as possible coming into the game,” said Bokenkamp, who scored her most points this season since a nine-point outing against Southern Utah on Nov. 23, “and we’re all there together on the bench during the first half watching and trying to keep our minds focused on the game. And when we got our chance in the second half, we wanted to make the most of it.”

Bokenkamp entered the game for the first time in the second half and hit a 3-pointer on her first shot attempt.

During Tech’s torrid run to start the second half — where the Lady Raiders scored on 15 of their first 19 possessions — six Lady Raiders scored, including four bench players.

Specious reasoning and basketball

Houston beat New Mexico by 15.

New Mexico beat Texas Tech by 4.

Houston should beat Tech by at least 19, right?

Such wasn’t the case in Tech’s 86-56 throttling of Houston on Sunday, Houston’s most lopsided loss of the season.

Tech coach Kristy Curry remarked that’s just how college basketball is, pointing to Stanford’s win against then No. 1 Baylor earlier this season and Connecticut’s 61-35 dismantling of No. 1 Stanford on Saturday. UConn is poised to take over the top spot, and plays Baylor later this season.

“We’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds,” Curry said, “and they’re going to have five or six bad days. You just hope those aren’t on a day you’re playing. And we had one on a day that we were playing.”

Curry said her team had a bad day against New Mexico, but it has moved past the loss

Free throws

Texas Tech junior forward Kelsi Baker scored in double figures for the eighth time in the last nine games. She had only seven double-digit games in her first two years at Tech ... Tech’s 86-56 win against Houston marked the end of non-conference play, and is also the 48th straight wins at home against non conference opponents. The last time Tech lost at home before Big 12 Conference play was Dec. 4, 2007, against Houston ... Tech junior center Shauntal Nobles’ seven points were a season high ... Tech senior guard Casey Morris needs just 12 points to hit the 1,000-point mark.